Paul Ryan Says Poverty Is Winning The War On Poverty

Paul Ryan delivered a speech on poverty at Cleveland State University yesterday. Ryan said that “today, 46 million people are living in poverty. That’s nearly one in six Americans – the highest poverty rate in a generation. During the last four years, the number of people living on food stamps has gone up by 15 million. Medicaid is reaching a breaking point. And one in four American students fails to attain a high-school diploma. In our major cities, half of our kids don’t graduate. Half.” He added that, “in this war on poverty, poverty is winning. We deserve better. We deserve a clear choice for a brighter future. So what is the alternative approach that Mitt Romney and I are offering?” He admits that many “think everybody should just fend for themselves. But that’s just a false argument – a straw man set up to avoid genuine debate.” “The truth is, Mitt and I believe in true compassion and upward mobility – and we are offering a vision based on real reforms for lifting people out of poverty.”